Mechalarum Page-a-Day: Page 7 - Leisure

You'll see in the upcoming pages that I don't dwell much on general citizen life in the Citadel. I touch on it briefly here and there, but I never really dig in and paint a clear picture.

In part, this is because I don't want to detract from the overall structure of the story, and I don't want to take away from Kiellen when these first few pages are vital to introducing her forceful and unique character. I also don't want people to get too attached... oops, I've almost said too much!

There's an interesting hint here, however, about how the citizens of Citadel spend their leisure time (what little they have of it). Tellingly, the balconies overlooking what is inarguably the most interesting and exciting event occurring under the dome at any given time remain empty.

In times of great need, a society can pull together and work exhaustively towards a shared goal, at a level of dedication that excludes extraneous activities. After twenty years of this dedication, though, even the most stalwart of souls can start to flag. A collective relentless internal pace cannot be maintained indefinitely without some sort of external pressure. Just something to think about.

Speaking of leisure, it was incredibly soothing to cut out all these circles. Seriously, you should try it sometime.